The world’s economic woes have obviously had a huge
impact on Central Florida’s themed entertainment business. But the one sector
that’s been hit particularly hard these past few months is food service.
You see, those who can still afford to go to Disney,
Universal & SeaWorld are now paying very close attention to what they spend
while they’re there. Which is why a lot of these folks are avoiding sit-down
meals at the theme parks and opting to go with counter service instead. Or –
worse than that -- just abstaining from purchasing large amounts of food while they’re
on property. Preferring to wait ‘til they can get to the more affordable
fare found out along 192 & International Drive.
So in order to get those Guests to crack open their wallets
and actually pay for a meal while they’re still on property, area resorts have
had to become a bit more creative. Find unique new ways to compete with all
those lower-priced restaurants found just off-property.
In the case of the Universal Orlando Resort, this meant
offering a dining alternative that couldn’t be found out along Kirkman Road.
Which is why – with the help of the Burger King Corporation – Universal opened
the World’s first WHOPPER Bar restaurant this past Tuesday.
The Burger King and his Burger Babes were on hand for the opening of
Universal CityWalk's newest concept restaurant. Photo by Angela Ragno
Located in the CityWalk section of that Resort, the WHOPPER
Bar restaurant really takes the whole “Have It Your Way” concept to new
heights. With Burger-lovers now being able to choose between 22 different
toppings (among them smoked bacon, Angry onions and guacamole) and then having
their sandwich built to order by a WHOPPER-ista.
Meanwhile, over at Epcot’s Les Chefs de France … Well,
Disney knows better than to mess with the nouvelle cuisine that this
restaurant’s three internationally acclaimed chefs -- Paul Bocuse, Roger Verge,
and Gaston LeNotre – serve up. But that said, Les Chefs de France is still one
of the most expensive restaurants found in that theme park. And given that
Guests are really watching their money these days, Disney World officials felt
that they had to come up with a strong new draw for this France pavilion
restaurant.
Which is why – this past Monday -- Remy from “Ratatouille
”
began making appearances at Les Chefs de France. And – no – I’m not talking
about some sweaty teenager in a walk-around Remy costume. I’m talking about the
latest application of Disney’s Living Character Initiative program. Which first
started entertaining diners at Walt Disney Studios’ Rendez-Vous des Stars
restaurant last summer.
Be warned, though. This itty-bitty animatronic Remy is
scheduled to make his last appearance at Epcot on September 10th. So
if you want to be entertained by Little Chef while you’re dining at Les Chef de
France, you’d best make some reservations ASAP.
Pixar's petit star served up on a silver platter.
Copyright 2008 Disney. All Rights Reserved
And speaking of characters disappearing … Many Magic Kingdom fans
were saddened when the Liberty Tree Tavern stopped serving its Goofy’s Liberate
Your Appetite Character Dinner back on January 4th. So much so that
a significant number of them actually stopped going to this WDW eatery.
Consequently, the Liberty Tree Tavern went from being a
restaurant that literally did turn away business to becoming one that wound up
with almost 100 empty seats every night. Which then translated into a $250,000
drop in revenues for both the months of January and February.
In the face of those sorts of losses … WDW officials had to admit that they’d made a mistake. Which is why – just last week – Magic
Kingdom managers quietly okayed the return of character dining at the Liberty
Tree Tavern.
Mind you, Goofy and his friends won’t be returning
immediately. These managers first had to amend that theme park’s global
schedule bid. In essence put in a staffing requisition for the proper number of
Zoo Crew members necessary to staff a character dining venue like Liberty Tree Tavern.
Please raise your hand if you're happy to hear that character dining will soon
return to the Liberty Tree Tavern. Copyright Disney. All Rights Reserved
Then – given that there are Cast Members who literally
performed as characters at this Magic Kingdom eatery for years – WDW officials
would like to give these veteran performers first crack at their old jobs
and then fill any vacant positions.
Anyway … Long story short, what with all of the staffing
issues and scheduling changes involved with bringing character dining back to
the Liberty Tree Tavern, it may take as long as the second weekend of April (To
be specific, Easter) before Goofy’s Liberate Your Appetite Character Dinner is
up and running again.
And just so you know, this news has not been officially announced yet. So if you call (407) WDW-DINE today and then tell them you're looking to make reservations for character dining at the Liberty Tree Tavern, that call center rep is not going to know what the heck you're talking about. But trust me, folks. These WDW Cast Members will be brought up to speed shortly. So if you're looking to Liberate Your Appetite anytime soon, you'd best make some reservations ASAP.
Anywho ... Given that all Disneyana fans seem to do online these days is
complain about high costs and/or cutbacks at the Parks, I just thought it might be
nice to share some news about something that had once been cut but is now on its way back.
Your thoughts?
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